OCASIO-CORTEZ targets JEFFRIES — CUOMO plans legal weed and a re-up of millionaire’s tax — MORE emails between DE BLASIO and top donor emerge

The woman New Yorkers and the country can’t seem to stop talking about is making more waves in Congress — and New York City. As our Laura Barrón-López reports this morning, Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is eyeing a new member of House Democratic leadership as a 2020 primary target: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

She writes: "Ocasio-Cortez, who ousted House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley earlier this year in a shocking primary victory, put colleagues on notice for future primaries just days after the November election, telling a livestream audience that she and an allied group, Justice Democrats, would keep working together to boost anti-incumbent challengers — though she didn’t name names. But a person who has discussed the project with Ocasio-Cortez and her team said the congresswoman-elect has recruited an African-American woman to challenge Jeffries, who was just elected to replace Crowley as caucus chairman — the No. 5 House Democratic leadership position. The person who spoke with Ocasio-Cortez and her team, who asked for anonymity to discuss a private conversation, called Jeffries the 'highest priority' primary target of Ocasio-Cortez.

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A second person with direct knowledge of Justice Democrats’ primary plans said the group is 'looking' at Jeffries’ seat. Since Justice Democrats put out a call for potential targets, the group's supporters have singled out Jeffries as a member they would be 'excited' to oppose. 'We’re not going to shy away from New York,' the second person said.

Challenging Jeffries would open an audacious new front in Ocasio-Cortez’s efforts to steer the direction of the Democratic Party, pitting her and allies against a rising-star African-American Democrat seen by some as a potential future speaker of the House. It would also set off another intra-party New York City brawl — Jeffries’ Brooklyn district is just a few miles south of Ocasio-Cortez’s Bronx-and-Queens seat — that would peak just as Democrats hope to rally around a presidential nominee in mid-2020.

Jeffries has sparked the ire of Justice Democrats for several reasons. The group feels Jeffries takes too much money from corporate interests, a key litmus test, and is overly friendly with banking and pro-charter school interests. But Ocasio-Cortez is also unhappy that a campaign donation to her from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) was allegedly used in a whisper campaign against Lee before her narrow loss to Jeffries in the recent race for Democratic caucus chair."

Jeffries had a brief response to a potential challenge: "It’s a free country and democracy is a beautiful thing.”

"Spread love; it’s the Brooklyn way,” Jeffries said, quoting a lyric by famed East Coast rapper Notorious B.I.G., or Biggie Smalls, whom Jeffries saluted on the House floor last year.

WHERE’S BILL? In the morning, joining Council member Margaret Chin to deliver remarks on the City’s borough-based jail plan, then meeting with community leaders to talk about it. Afterward, the mayor is holding a closed press meeting with HUD Secretary Ben Carson. Later, he’s attending the “City Hall in your Borough” Resource Fair and joining his wife Chirlane McCray for the opening of the “I Hear You Listening Session” at the Thrive NYC Brothers and Sisters Kwanzaa Celebration.

A message from FWD.us:

50% of adults in America have had a family member in jail or prison. Our new report shows how the long reach of incarceration extends well beyond the jail and prison walls to the families on the other side. EverySecond.fwd.us

STAT OF THE DAY: There were 91,897 homeless people on a single night in New York State in 2018, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development report released Monday — a 2.7 percent increase from 2017. The spike was mostly driven by a 2.8 percent increase in New York City as the number of city homeless people grew to 78,676. New York City’s homeless population represents 86 percent of the state’s total homeless population. POLITICO's Brendan Cheney.

WHAT ALBANY'S READING

CUOMO LAYS OUT HIS 2019 AGENDA: Gov. Andrew Cuomo laid out his agenda for 2019 on Monday in a speech built around the legacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was sworn into office as governor 90 years ago come New Year's Day. The speech had the feel of a State of the State address as Cuomo rapidly ran through a list of agenda items without providing much detail. And like a State of the State speech, the summation of those proposals allowed the governor to establish a theme for the coming legislative session.

In this case, Cuomo's broad theme was about how Roosevelt would act as governor while having “a president who simply doesn’t believe in FDR’s famous Four Freedoms and is affirmatively creating fear and want and stifling freedom of speech and worship.” And Roosevelt’s response, Cuomo said, would be to stop complaining about the president and start getting things done to offer a counter narrative. “FDR understood that you cannot spell progressive without progress,” the governor said. “You can’t be a politician who speaks and raises peoples’ hopes and then accomplishes nothing. His national success was not born from pontification or zealotry or hyperbole or symbolism or celebrity or showmanship. FDR was focused on making a real tangible difference in the lives of real hard-working Americans.” POLITICO's Terry Golway

— Cuomo set a new goal to reach 100 percent carbon neutral electricity in the state by 2040 and embraced a “Green New Deal” to ultimately eliminate all emissions. Details were sparse on what that would entail. Many environmentalists praised the commitment but some said it was not sufficient.

—The governor also called for reorganizing the MTA, the day before an advisory committee is due to release recommendations on the subject.

“AFTER BEING ACCUSED OF DEFRAUDING ITS INTERNET SUBSCRIBERS, Charter Communications Monday agreed to a whopping $174.2 million settlement with state Attorney General Barbara Underwood...In February 2017, the AG charged in a civil lawsuit that Charter Communication, and its predecessor Time Warner Cable, knowingly delivered since 2012 slower internet speed to customers than promised.” Daily News’s Ken Lovett

THE SENATE MAJORITY AND MINORITY OFFICES, which sit at opposite sides of the chamber, have officially flipped. Frank Smith, who said he has for years scratched off and reapplied signs in the Senate, Assembly, State Education and some judicial buildings, applied black and gold decals replacing John Flanagan’s name with Andrea Stewart-Cousins’ on the majority leader office doors. A sign for John J. Flanagan was hung outside the minority conference offices. — Anna Gronewold

“ASSEMBLYWOMAN CRYSTAL PEOPLES-STOKES, a Buffalo Democrat, was selected Monday to become the new Assembly majority leader, the second most powerful post in the 150-member chamber and one that gives Western New York key influence at the Capitol… Peoples-Stokes becomes the first African-American woman to become Assembly majority leader, a job which she will officially take when a new session of the Assembly commences in January.” Buffalo News’ Tom Precious

— “ASSEMBLYWOMAN CATHY NOLAN, AN OUTSPOKEN AND PASSIONATE QUEENS DEMOCRAT, WILL BE DEPARTING THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIP to take the position as deputy speaker in the coming session, multiple sources at the state Capitol confirm. Nolan will be replaced as Education Committee chair – a position she has held since 2006 and was given by former Speaker Sheldon Silver – by Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, who, like the current speaker, Carl Heastie, is a Bronx Democrat.” State of Politics’ Liz Benjamin

— “THE OCCASIONALLY CONTROVERSIAL REIGN of Rochester Assemblyman David Gantt as chair of the Assembly's transportation committee has come to an end, with Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie choosing someone else for the task. Heastie has chosen Democratic Assemblyman William Magniarelli to take over the committee. Gantt, who has missed much of recent legislative sessions while battling kidney disease, said he is not upset with the change. ‘I've been out sick,’ Gantt said Monday night...The transportation committee can be a powerful force, and Gantt has been accused in the past of blocking safety measures. In 2008, The New York Times editorial page called for Gantt's removal from the post after he opposed a traffic bill from New York City that included additional cameras to record drivers who run red lights. This year, Gantt again came under fire as he stood in the way of legislation known as ‘Angelica's Law.’ The law would make it a felony to drive with more than five license suspensions; now ten suspensions are required.” Democrat and Chronicle’s Gary Craig

#UpstateAmerica: Kingston is the hot new place for people from Brooklyn to move to, the New York Times reports.

A message from FWD.us:

We all pay the price for mass incarceration. Our groundbreaking new report shows that America's families are paying more than ever before. Half of all adults in America have had a family member in jail or prison, and for one in seven of them, that time has been at least a year. This holiday season, impacted families are missing hugs, and household incomes, and loved ones around the table. Read the new report: EverySecond.fwd.us

WHAT CITY HALL IS READING

“CITY HALL WITHHELD NEARLY TWO DOZEN E-MAILS THAT SHOW MAYOR DE BLASIO HAD A MUCH COZIER RELATIONSHIP WITH JONA RECHNITZ THAN HE HAS ADMITTED — even telling the crooked developer to reach out “anytime I can help,” The Post has learned. De Blasio was corresponding with Rechnitz for more than two years, from late in his first campaign in October 2013 through February 2016, despite the mayor’s April 2016 claim that he and the admitted briber were “not particularly close,” the previously undisclosed e-mails show. ‘Jona, really enjoyed our mtg,’ de Blasio wrote on Oct. 4, 2013, following receipt of $36,700 in cash Rech­nitz had collected for him. ‘Call upon me anytime I can help. And thanks for your extraordinary assistance for my cause — means a lot to me.’ Other e-mails obtained by The Post show de Blasio calling Rechnitz ‘my friend,’ ‘brother’ and ‘a mensch’ — Yiddish for ‘a person of integrity and honor.’ One even reveals that he told Rechnitz to keep their communications discreet.” New York Post’s Kaja Whitehouse, Yoav Gonen and Bruce Golding

“THE MTA’S SAFETY CAMPAIGN ‘IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING’ is familiar message, one that urges New Yorkers to pay attention and report suspicious activity. But when a child-welfare campaign adopted a similar tone, critics told WNYC they worried about potentially harmful consequences for children and families. The Administration for Children's Services is running ads on Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, in part to reach teenagers and prompt them to report their own abuse or call for a friend...But advocates questioned at least the tone of the social media campaign in that it encourages surveillance, when it very well could be offering information about support services. They said the vast majority of child-welfare investigations center on neglect, not abuse, that often stems from issues related to poverty, like inadequate housing conditions, kids not showing up to school or lack of supervision..” WNYC’s Yasmeen Khan

“AS WEST COAST COMPANIES STORM INTO NEW YORK, they are reshaping the city’s neighborhoods and changing its identity from a hub of finance, fashion and media to one increasingly centered on technology. Google said on Monday that it planned to create a $1 billion campus just south of the West Village. The internet company’s push into one of Manhattan’s most famous neighborhoods positions it to become one of New York’s biggest occupants of office space, allowing it to double its work force in the city to more than 14,000 over the next decade. Google follows Amazon, which said last month that it planned to open a new office in Queens that will house as many as 25,000 employees. Apple, Facebook, LinkedIn and Uber have also embarked on recent New York expansions — much of it driven by a hunt for talent. Each is creating hundreds or thousands of high-paying jobs and leasing or building millions of square feet in commercial real estate.” NYT

FLASHBACK: “Amid Silicon Valley uproar, New York City eyes an opening for its tech sector” — POLITICO, 8/10/2017

WHAT WALL STREET IS READING — “Ghosn’s U.S. Push Raised Tension With Nissan Executives,” by WSJ’s William Boston: “Carlos Ghosn’s drive to increase Nissan Motor Co.’s market share in the U.S. created tension with the company’s management, who felt his push came at the expense of investing in Japan. While strains were appearing in the Ghosn-created alliance of Renault SA, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., the extent to which Mr. Ghosn’s U.S. plans was causing problems with Nissan executives in Japan has become more apparent since Mr. Ghosn’s arrest last month.” Read more

SOCIAL DATA

SPOTTED: Katie Couric on Monday at the Apple Store Soho

OUT AND ABOUT: Pool report: “Liz Robbins and Doug Johnson threw a festive holiday gathering at the colonially regal National Society of Colonial Dames in Manhattan and had one President and at least two others (maybe more!) who very much want to be.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Randi Weingarten, president of American Federation of Teachers, is 61 … Jeanne Cummings, political editor for the WSJ … Denise Forte … Micah Lasher, head of policy and communications at Sidewalk Labs … former Rep. David Levy (R-N.Y.) is 65

TV THIS MORNING — GARY COHN joins “CBS This Morning” in studio 57 in an installment of “Issues That Matter.” He appears one year after tax reform passed.

FOR YOUR RADAR — Per Brian Stelter’s Reliable Sources newsletter: “Ryan Lizza and Olivia Nuzzi are pairing up to write a book for Simon & Schuster about the 2020 election. This is the first major book acquisition for the publisher’s new Avid Reader imprint, which is being led by Jofie Ferrari-Adler and Ben Loehnen. … [T]he book aspires to be the definitive account of the 2020 race, both in DC and on the trail, told in the reported narrative style that both writers are known for.”

MAKING MOVES — Kathryn Yontef is now director of corporate initiatives at Everytown for Gun Safety. She previously was chief of staff and director of U.S. government affairs at Microsoft and is also a Teneo and Burson alum. … Michelle Bond will be global head of policy for Blockchain, a software provider for digital currency. She most recently was deputy head of global regulatory affairs at Bloomberg. … Alexandra Svokos, most recently at Bustle, began this week as a news editor at ABC News digital. … Mike Falco is moving to New York to join Dukas Linden Public Relations as a junior account executive. He previously was digital director for the House Budget Committee.

REAL ESTATE WITH SALLY GOLDENBERG AND JANAKI CHADHA

“IT APPEARS THAT HEALTH CARE IS IN FACT RETURNING TO RIVINGTON HOUSE. And allegedly at the expense of condo conversion. Neighbors to Save Rivington House group disclosed this week that co-owner Slate Property Group recently signed a “Letter of Intent” with Mount Sinai Hospital to move its “Behavioral Health” program into the former nursing home. While an apparent carrot for the neighborhood in the wake of the nearly-three-year-old scandal, the advocacy group is still fuming that building ownership, which inked this deal purportedly without public input, didn’t consider the true needs of the community. Namely, the loss of more than two hundred nursing home beds.” Bowery Boogie

THE CITY COUNCIL IS TAKING UP LEGISLATION that aims to equalize the distribution of homeless shelters around different parts of the city. Council Member Rafael Salamanca is pushing a bill that would require the Department of Homeless Services to submit quarterly reports to local Council members and community boards on the number of shelters, supportive housing sites and cluster sites — apartment buildings that have been converted to shelters — in a given area. The agency would also be required to post the total number of sites on its website, separated out by Council district and community board. “It is not my intention to create barriers to opening shelters,” Salamanca said at a committee hearing Monday on his legislation and a number of other homeless services-related bills. POLITICO's Janaki Chadha

THE HOME TEAMS, BY HOWARD MEGDAL

Niagara’s men’s basketball forward Marvin Prochet, a Brooklyn product, earned MAAC Player of the Week honors, while becoming the 47th player in Niagara program history to score 1,000 points.

The Mets signed Rajai Davis, a fleet-footed veteran outfielder with limited hitting skills, to a minor league deal.

NYCFC great David Villa has plans for a USL team that would play in Queens,and is planning a stadium in Willets Point for that team's use. Anyone who remembers the long, fruitless MLS effort to build there will enjoy a healthy dose of skepticism over this effort, but it certainly remains a logical place for a soccer team to call home.

Giants coach Pat Shurmur will start Eli Manning at quarterback this week, he told reporters Monday, and thinks he has years left as a starter. Here’s hoping.

Suns 128, Knicks 110: That’s not an ideal night for the Knicks defensively, between 38 points for Devin Booker and 14 assists from old friend Jamal Crawford off the bench. At least Emmanuel Mudiay continued his renaissance, scoring 32.

The day ahead: a big test for the streaking Nets with LeBron’s Lakers in town. The Rangers host Anaheim. The Islanders are in Arizona. The Sabres welcome the Panthers.

About The Author : Laura Nahmias

Laura Nahmias is a reporter for POLITICO New York, covering City Hall and Mayor Bill de Blasio. Before she began covering City Hall, she wrote about Albany politics for POLITICO New York. She has also written for City and State, The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post.

A native of Memphis, Tennessee, Laura earned her undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, before earning a Masters Degree in Journalism at Columbia University.

About The Author : Terry Golway

Terry Golway is a senior editor at POLITICO States responsible for New York state political coverage out of Albany. He has been a journalist for more than 40 years and is the author of more than a dozen books, including Machine Made: Tammany Hall and the Creation of Modern American Politics. He was a member of The New York Times' editorial board and was city editor of the New York Observer. He holds a Ph.D. in U.S. history from Rutgers University.

About The Author : Daniel Lippman

Daniel Lippman is a reporter for POLITICO and a co-author of POLITICO's Playbook, the most indispensable morning newsletter for the biggest influencers in politics.

Before joining POLITICO, he was a fellow covering environmental news for E&E Publishing and a reporter for The Wall Street Journal in New York. He has also interned for McClatchy Newspapers and Reuters. During a stint freelancing in 2013, he traveled to the Turkish-Syrian border to cover the impact of the Syrian civil war for The Huffington Post and CNN.com.

He graduated from The Hotchkiss School in 2008 and from The George Washington University in 2012. Daniel hails from the Berkshires in western Massachusetts and enjoys playing tennis, seeing movies and trying out new restaurants in his free time.